Hissing, the angels click their beaks, creating a sharp noise that fills the empty air. One of them uses its many arms to drag itself across the cracked floor, while another is carried on the back of a large, many-eyed bird with no legs. They are many, but they are divided. In the center of the room lies a small boy, no more than a year old, along with an envelope of unfamiliar words. He had long since stopped crying, for no one would come. He had exhausted himself. An angel with abnormally large hands, yet no fingers, approached the child cautiously. No angel dares to disturb something that makes such a deathly wail.
Upon the boy's forehead is a curious mark that smells of rot. The angel holding him approves of this; it is a homely, comforting smell. More angels gather around as the boy is inspected, and he is gently passed between them. The raucous clicks, hisses, and growls of the angels rouses the boy from his sleep, and he cries once more. The angels panic, and the blind one that held him quickly places him on the ground. They watch, intrigued, as the small boy crawls towards their pile of raw meat, some of it several days old. He tries to eat some of it, but he could not swallow it. The chunks were too big.
An angel that had eaten from it recently got an idea and picked the boy up. His eyes shine with curiosity as the angel opens all three of its mouths and regurgitates its last meal onto him. He easily swallows the amount that gets into his mouth, and cries for more, licking his clothes. The boy is drenched in half digested meat. Getting the idea, more angels line up to feed the boy until he refuses to open his mouth. This is taken as a sign that the boy is full. The angels eat once more, satisfied with their discovery of how to feed the child. An angel whose saliva dripped from its mouth like a waterfall licks the child clean, making him giggle with delight. His pitch black hair was an interesting contrast to the light pastels of the angels. They were coated in everything from bare skin to feathers and scales.
Joyous green eyes stared back up at them, again a surprising yet strong contrast. The angels who had eyes only had deep black, from the cornea to the pupil. Becoming accustomed to their new pet, the angels murmured of responsibilities. They decided to teach the pitifully defenseless child how to care for himself. Since he was still rather young, and they had never seen something like him before, they set about assigning teachers for everything, from weaving to flying. They designate a tall, spindly angel with arms like tree branches to be the child's primary caregiver. The proud new parent bottled a vocal message, explaining that the child was safe, and sent it to wherever it was the boy arrived from.
By the time he is five, the boy, now called Valac, has memorized the titles of every being involved in his life, from Abezethibou to Zepar. Obyzouth, his mother figure, teaches him well in the ways of caring for himself and setting limits. In a few years time she will be instructing him on which herbs to use to cast fertility and sterility spells. Imamiah teaches him about braving the seas, while Lerajie assists him with hand-eye coordination. Penemuel, skilled in the writings of manfolk, deciphered the letter that accompanied Valac, and while he cared little for his given name, Penemuel noted that upon his eleventh year of existence, the child must leave them to learn in ways that could not be provided in their care.
Magic was common amongst the angels, but much of it was beyond the abilities of their little human. What can be taught will be, but they wanted Valac to be as powerful as possible. Baraqijal sighs peacefully as Valac chatters on, pointing out the constellations. Valac doesn't know their simple meanings yet, but one day he would be their prince. Their emissary.
On the eve of his eleventh birthday, Valac voraciously eats decomposed flesh as all of Dantanian's faces count off the possible outcomes. It had been agreed that, should it be required, Obyzouth and Ruax would represent them. As the ticking hand of an old cuckoo clock strikes the twelve, all becomes silent. A letter pops into existence. Valac rushes up to it and reads it, having been taught many mantongues by Penemuel. As expected, the letter stated that he would be going to a school of witchcraft, and Raum cawed his approval. Raum, appearing as a crow, would be accompanying Valac to school, and be the messenger between school and home.
"Come, little one," Obyzouth calls out. "There is much to do." He cleans himself up and follows her into the portal to the other world. His world. It is dark as the deepest abyss outside, but he could see easily. He had come to the human realm multiple times, and every time it was inky black. He rarely saw another human, and no humans have ever seen him. The two slip undetected into every shop, and take what is listed and then some. Valac knows this is frowned upon, but what his classmates don't know won't hurt them. They pack everything into a trunk they had acquired, and go back home. Valac has much studying to do to make his family proud.
After waving goodbye to his 'parents', Valac, who already has his robes on, boards the train and follows his guardian's wishes; Ruax told him to make friends, so he will. Since Valac does not yet know how to conjure beings to follow his will, he does the nest best thing and introduces himself to a trio of boys who look to be around his age.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Valac asks, smiling. The boys appear surprised that someone would attempt to sit with them. One of the two large ones starts to speak, but the small one, appearing to be in charge, interrupts him.
"We would be delighted to have you," He says quickly, moving his hand through his platinum blond hair. Valac unconsciously copies him as he accepts the answer, and he hears the boys gasp.
"You're Harry Potter," The burly boy who had yet to speak said.
"I'm sorry, that may be true but I do not go by that name anymore. You can call me Valac, but I hadn't thought of a last name so you may continue calling me Potter." The pale haired boy shakes his head, confused, and reaches out to shake Valac's hand. Valac grips it tightly, as he had been taught by Forneus.
"Well, Valac, my name is Draco Malfoy, and my... friends here are Crabbe and Goyle." Draco was a very confident boy, it seemed. He would make any hellspawn green with envy. Going by the appearance of his robes, he was also very well off. Just as Valac starts to drum up a conversation, a girl with bushy hair knocks on the compartment door.
"Have you seen a toad? Neville's lost one," She says curtly. Neville is a chubby boy who looks nervously around at those in the compartment. Draco got an awfully smug look on his face, but Valac cut him off.
"I haven't seen any, but I could send Raum to look, if you like, Neville." Valac was beaming his best smile, surprising everyone as he gestured to a large crow inside a silver cage. "I promise he won't eat him."
Neville happily accepts his offer, and goes, with the girl and Raum, to continue looking. Draco eventually breaks the silence. "Why were you so nice to them? They don't even deserve to be here."
Valac glares back sharply. "Everyone deserves respect, and you won't get anywhere in life by belittling people. Offer help when you can and always be polite." Draco hesitates, then nods. Satisfied, Valac asks him about his life like nothing happened, and Draco obliges. The next time someone knocks on the door, Draco opens it for them to discover that it is Neville once more, carrying Raum and a large toad. The girl from earlier is nowhere in sight. Draco greets him, and Neville is shocked. He quickly smiles and responds to Draco, happy to be treated well. Raum is dropped off and as Neville leaves, Valac looks at Draco with pride in his eyes.
"You did well."
"Thank you." They leave it at that. The sweets trolley comes by, and Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all buy more than their fair share. Upon realizing that Valac had not brought money, Draco shared a small amount of his candy with him, his cronies following suit. Much small talk was made, mostly about houses (which earned Draco another lecture on his manners) and quidditch.
Upon arrival, Valac is slightly surprised but hardly impressed with the castle. It was on par with the residences of his family. The boat ride is pleasant, and led to him recalling his lessons from Imamiah. The squid that lurks within the depths seems friendly enough, but what he really wants to do is explore the forest. The first years are lead inside the school, where they await the sorting. Suddenly, a group of supernatural beings float into the room, bickering. Upon noticing the students, a plump man grins and rushes to greet them. He introduces himself as the Fat Friar, and wishes luck to all future Hufflepuffs. The other ghosts wish luck to their respective houses. A stern woman enters and leads them into a large room that currently contains the rest of the school.
Valac had never been in a room with so many humans before, so he wasn't sure how to act. Nervously, he held his head high and avoided looking weak. Draco gave an approving nod. As the sorting went along, many students were sent to various cheering tables. When Draco approaches, he visibly shakes, but doesn't falter. As soon as the hat is on his head, it shouts out 'Slytherin!' to his great relief. Shortly afterwards, Valac is called.
"Potter, Valac!" Calls the woman from before, Professor McGonagall, perplexed by the first name. Valac walks confidently up to the stool, and puts the hat on his head. A voice fills his mind, muttering of knowledge and potential, until he was finally sorted into Ravenclaw. There is polite, yet excited, clapping from the blue and bronze table. As he approaches, he notices that the majority of the table isn't stereotypical bookworms, as the sorting song had implied, but rather creative minds that used knowledge to solve problems and express themselves. A couple have sketchbooks out, working on portraits of the new students. Others were recording the happenings of the sorting, likely to sell to a news publisher or a school paper.
Draco looks across the hall, disappointed, but accepts it for what it is. Headmaster Dumbledore gives various warnings, most intriguing being to not go into the third floor corridor for fear of death. When the feast appears, Valac is not surprised that there is no familiar food, but he's still agitated. He resigns himself to veal cooked rare, and eats ravenously, yet politely. He also takes a generous portion of black pudding. When dessert comes around, he is shocked when he tastes something. It is not quite the same, but it reminds him of the sickly sweetness of rotten meat. One of his fellow students remarks that he must really like treacle.
When everyone is finished, the last of the food vanishes and the students rise. After singing the school song (which Valac enjoys greatly), the students go to their dorms. Valac doesn't take note of who he is rooming with, as he is very tired, and he sleeps soundly.